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Committed to...Continued from page 26A walk down of worksites for eachpackage determines whether work can beperformed safely and to plan. This includesa variety of tasks such as identifying theneed for scaffold, insulation, temporarypower and light, rigging services needed,identifying heavy loads and safety relatedload paths, Foreign Material Exclusion(FME) controls, equipment isolationrequirements, confined space entries,heat stress management, chemical useplanning, lay down areas in the powerblock, other work scheduled in the area,and accessibility of components.Supervisors have the responsibilityfor ensuring the worksite begins withand maintains a safe working andhousekeeping environment duringthe maintenance period. Additionally,they must establish the proper mentalatmosphere to maintain a questioningattitude and instill that attitude in all oftheir work crews.Requirement for support equipment,diagnostic equipment, or special tools toperform repairs must be determined, aswell as special requirements for interfacewith other groups for inspections ordocumentation. This would include pointsof contact and schedules.Redundant or duplicated work tasksshould be identified in order to optimizework scheduling. Identification of requiredparts and their status as to procurement,QA acceptance (if appropriate) andstaging must be completed.Prior to any work beginning, we establishskill requirements and trainingneeded to perform all documented workwithin the scope. These requirementsresult in identification of the specifictechnical qualifications for each groupof workers, and the necessary additionaltraining to meet all generic and uniquerequirements imposed by the work scope.Supervisors can then coordinate with thetraining resources to establish qualificationrequirements and schedule necessarytraining events.Work must be scheduled so thatresource requirements support outagewindows and the timeframe allowed.Level loading of resources can softenpeaks and determine the appropriatehiring and release dates to supportschedule. Resource cost estimates identifyconformance or impact on the assignedbudget. All work schedules and resourceramp plans should then be bound to therequirements of 10CFR26 “Fatigue Rule”limits.3. How does Day & Zimmermannensure the quality of its maintenancetasks during normal plant operation andduring refueling outage?Day & Zimmermann Power doesnot typically coordinate preventativemaintenance tasks during normal plantoperation. We are usually providingmaintenance and modification services.Principle actions are safety planning andadherence, modification and constructionoversight, establishing clear expectationsfor supervisory oversight, high qualityworkmanship, and verbatim proceduraladherence. Day & Zimmermann Power’ssenior management and project managershave a weekly conference call that allowsthe sharing of best practices and lessonslearned from our experience around thecountry and the updating of the databasewe maintain for future reference.Specialty services provided by Day& Zimmermann Power such as its ValveDivision are almost entirely focused onrefueling outages. Here again, the qualityof the work relies on a questioning attitudeby both the individual worker and thesupervisors. Push back on work packageelements or items of inconsistency areencouraged. The highlighting of industry“best practices” and bringing them to theattention of the utility/supervision hasalways been a method of ensuring qualityand efficiency in worker performance.4. How does Day & Zimmermann trainits staff (crafts and engineering) forits maintenance and refueling outageprojects?Training is largely dependent onwork scope and comes in many varieties,including Day & Zimmermann Power’sinternal technical and safety trainingprograms; special journeyman training(welding, electrical, valve, etc.) developedwith owners, trade school, and local communitycolleges; union apprentice training;off and on-site mock-up training, andjust-in-time efforts. The core elements ofthis program are ‘Just in Time’ training ofsupervisors, fostering a safety-consciouswork environment (SCWE), human performance,basic supervisory skills, andsupervisor safety expectations.’Just in Time’ training of supervision(foremen and above) is conductedon-site prior to an outage evolution,approximately one to two weeks prior tothe outage/orientation efforts.Human Performance training isbehavior-based and focuses on errordetection and prevention tools, managingdefenses, handling employee concernsproperly, and protected activity andretaliation.Basic Supervisory Skills trainingteaches effective communication, howto motivate employees, handling performanceproblems, importance of gooddocumentation, and handling harassmentand sensitivity issues.5. What organizational efforts areimplemented to ensure that the plant isreturned to normal operation within theallotted time it’s scheduled for refuelingoutage?Day & Zimmermann Power believesensuring a return to normal operationsrequires definitive buy-in and insistencethat safety plus quality will equalproductivity (S+Q = P).This commitment is executed bypreparing a good plan; ensuring properresource loading, availability of materials,etc.; monitoring productivity through theschedule and establishing contingencyplans.Day & Zimmermann Power’sorganizational efforts have also includedthe development and digitization ofweb-based tools for safety, outageplanning, and project management forthe past three years that allow a constant“scorecard” on these efforts, facilitatingcoordination between the owner and theoutage contractor.6. What guidelines, industry standard,and regulation are followed by Day &Zimmermann to ensure safe and effi cientmaintenance and refueling outage of itsprojects?To ensure safe and efficientmaintenance and refueling activities Day& Zimmermann Power adheres to and is28 www.NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2009